Asia, Nepal, Api and Nampa, New Routes, and Bobaye, First Ascent

Api and Nampa, New Routes, and Bobaye, First Ascent. A Slovenian team mounted an expedition to a remote mountain group in western Nepal during the post-monsoon season, establishing three new routes on still-unclimbed faces, including one virgin summit. From a Base Camp at 3650 meters, Tomaz Humar made a solo first ascent, over a day and a half, of Bobaye (6808 m) via the northwest face, topping out on November 2. He named the route of ascent Zlato srce (Golden Heart, V, up to 85°) and dedicated it to his wife, who “patiently waited for him at home,” and the line of the descent (V+, up to 90°) to the late Vanja Furlan. On the south face of Nampa (6755 m), Matic Jost and Peter Meznar climbed Jagodna polja (Strawberry Fields, TD 85°). The most dangerous and hardest part of the route was the couloir in the lower section of the face, which they climbed at night. They bivouacked twice, summited on November 3, and descended via the Japanese route. They dedicated their route to Slave Sveticic, who disappeared during a solo attempt on Gasherbrum IV in June, 1995. On Api (7132 m), Dusan Debelak, Janko Meglic and Tomaz Zerovnik climbed Alpos-Facig-Solza za Jasno (2600 m, TD+ V+ 95°) on southeast face. Alpos and Facig are companies who supported them financially and Solza za Jasno means Tears for Jasna, for Jasna Bratanic, who died in the Julian Alps with Stane Belak-Srauf in December, 1995. They spent three days reaching a serac at 6050 meters. The next day, only Debelak and Meglic continued. The crux (verglassed slabs) was at 6800 meters. They summited in strong winds and returned to the tent at 6050 meters the same evening. All three descended the next day to Base Camp. A full account of the expedition appears earlier in this journal.